1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electroacoustic technology used in implantable devices.
2. Related Art
When an acoustic field is applied to a colloid containing particles with a charge, the arrangement of solvent molecules surrounding the solute particles (the double-layer) is disrupted. When the acoustic field is removed, the solvent molecules reassemble themselves and give off an electric field proportional to the energy required for the initial disruption of solvent molecules. Alternatively, when a colloid is transiently exposed to a changing electric field, the same disruption of solvent molecules takes place and the reassembly of the double-layer emits an acoustic field. These principles are employed in analytical chemistry to characterize the composition and stability of colloids.
Colloidal chemistry has historically been used for inorganic compounds such as paint, lotions, and other slurries. Organic compounds, however, have not been investigated using these techniques because they were considered too small for colloidal chemistry to be effective.